6/17 Powell's WWE No Way Out results and review: John Cena vs. Big Show in a cage match, C.M. Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane for the WWE Championship, Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler for the World Hvt. Championship

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WWE No Way Out
Aired live on pay-per-view
East Rutherford, N.J. at Izod Center

Pre Show

Scott Stanford and Matt Striker ran through the pay-per-view lineup...

Backstage, Primo, Epico, and Rosa Mendes complained to A.W. that they lost their rematch clause because he advised them to wait. They claimed the clause was only good for 30 days and asked what kind of a manager is he. He said he's their adviser, not their manager. A.W. said they will compete in a four-way tag match with the winner becoming No. 1 contenders. He asked them to trust him...

The announcers hyped The Uso Brothers vs. Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd vs. Prime Time Players vs. Primo and Epico as the four-way match to determine the No. 1 contenders to the tag titles...

1. Brodus Clay (w/Cameron, Naomi) vs. David Otunga. The announcers noted that Brodus was walking gingerly and was wearing a brace due to the Grade 2 MCL tear he suffered at the hands of Otunga on Smackdown. Otunga worked over the bad knee early on while the dancers expressed concern at ringside.

Clay made a bit of a comeback and Otunga was content to be counted out. Clay and his dancer did their post-match dance. Otunga watched from ringside. The announcers noted that they could tell by looking at Otunga's eyes that he had something planned...

Brodus Clay defeated David Otunga by countout in 5:35.

Powell's POV: Oh, good, we haven't seen the last of Clay vs. Otunga. Think of all the Father's Day wishes that just came true. I was hopeful that Brodus was moving on to bigger and better things after his match with Big Show on Raw. Looking past that, I suppose it's a positive to have him in an actual program rather than just squashing the heroes of WWE Superstars.

The Triple H version of the Raw 1,000 video aired... The announcers discussed the pay-per-view card... A video package focussed on the C.M. Punk, Daniel Bryan, Kane, and A.J. drama... More announcer babble...

Backstage, Josh Mathews interviewed John Cena, who said he knows exactly what is on the line tonight. He said he posted a famous line on Twitter - "If I leave here tomorrow, will you still remember me?" Cena said one way or another, the face of WWE will change and there's no way out of that.

Powell's POV: Suddenly, the "One Man Southern Rock Band" Heath Slater showed up and beat the holy hell out of Cena for using a Lynyrd Skynyrd lyric. Okay, that part with Slater didn't actually happen. Cena seems to be the only person bothering to sell that stipulation. He did more on Twitter than WWE did on their own website.

A video recapped the Vince McMahon, Big Johnny, Big Show, and John Cena segment from Raw...

Powell's POV: The video concluded and the screen went black a little over a minute before pay-per-view time. Let's kill some time. We're giving away a pair of three-month Dot Net Memberships tonight. Both winners will be selected randomly and the winners will be announced during our pay-per-view coverage. To enter, cut and paste the following on your Twitter page right now: Read @Prowrestlingnet's live coverage of WWE No Way Out at prowrestling.net #wwe #NoWayOut

WWE No Way Out PPV Coverage

The show opened with a video that focussed on Big Show and John Cena... Michael Cole introduced the show and hyped that there is no way out for either John Laurinaitis or John Cena. He said one of those men will be fired tonight. Jerry Lawler and Booker T are also on commentary...

1. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) for the World Heavyweight Championship. Lilian Garcia handled the in-ring introductions for the title match. The wrestlers received a split reaction. Dolph was over with a lot of the adult males, as they chanted, "Let's go, Ziggler." Vickie gave Dolph a kiss on the cheek prior to the match.

Sheamus tried to go 18 seconds on him by going for a Brogue Kick just as he did at WrestleMania 28, but Dolph avoided it and rolled to the floor. A short time later, Ziggler ended up seated on the middle of the top rope. He slapped Sheamus, who responded by pushing him down off the middle rope. Sheamus hit a big DDT at 5:30 for a near fall.

At 6:45, Dolph had a chin lock applied with Sheamus on the mat. He held the hold and did a handstand simultaneously. A short time later, Sheamus had Dolph up on his shoulders, but Ziggler slipped out and hit another big DDT for a near fall.

At 10:50, Sheamus went for a high knee, but Dolph avoided it and put him in a sleeper. Sheamus dumped him over the top. Dolph went up top and dove at Sheamus, who tried lazily and unsuccessfully to catch him. It led to a few seconds of awkwardness. Dolph hit the Fameasser for a really good near fall at 12:05. The "Let's go, Ziggler" chants grew.

Sheamus pulled himself up to the top rope. Dolph ran over and tried to run up the ropes Kurt Angle style. It wasn't pretty getting up there, but Ziggler performed a Facebuster off the top for another good near fall. Dolph went for his finisher, but Sheamus avoided it and hit the Irish Curse, which drew more boos than cheers. Sheamus bled from the bridge of his nose. The Sheamus fans counted along as Sheamus did his forearms to the chest.

At 14:35, Sheamus hit Ziggler with White Noise. Sheamus looked to the crowd as he went to the corner and slammed on his own chest. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick and scored the clean pin...

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the World Hvt. Championship in 15:10.

Powell's POV: A good match that the live crowd was into. I was really hoping for a title change because WWE needs to create stars and giving Ziggler would have given him instant credibility and star power, but no such luck. The split crowd reaction was fun. The Ziggler fans were vocal, but Sheamus also had good support throughout the match. Here's hoping this isn't the last of Dolph in the title picture.

Vince McMahon was shown walking backstage. John Laurinaitis chased after him wearing a loud suit and tie and using a crutch. Big Johnny said he knows Vince has a concussion and maybe it would be best if he didn't go to ringside. He said he also hoped their business relationship would grow once Big Show was victorious. Johnny tried to follow Vince inside his office, but Vince put his hand up and closed the door.

Josh Mathews ran up and tried to talk to Big Johnny about pressure. Johnny said he deals with pressure every day and he does so with grace and dignity. He ripped Mathews and said he has a show to run tonight, tomorrow, and into the future...

2. U.S. Champion Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez in a non-title tuxedo match. Santino wore a powder blue tuxedo. Cole said Ricardo has the advantage because he wears a tuxedo all the time. They took turns playing to the crowd. Santino was cheered, Ricardo was booed.

Ricardo tore the pocket off Santino's jacket. Santino returned fire. A loud "Boring" chant broke out. Santino, who had the Cobra on his foot, stripped Ricardo to win the match. Ricardo was wearing underwear with Alberto Del Rio's face logo on the back...

Powell's POV: I just described two grown men pretending to rip tuxedos off one another. I can't imagine the sense of pride my father must be feeling if he's happens to be reading this on Father's Day.

Backstage, C.M. Punk was shown wearing an "I Dig Crazy Chicks" t-shirt. Matt Striker asked him what the deal is with his relationship with A.J. Punk asked what relationship. He said she's crazy, but the match is about his WWE Championship. A.J. showed up and wished Punk luck with a kiss on the cheek. "Luck is for losers," Punk said...

Powell's POV: Punk's beloved Chicago Cubs must be the luckiest team ever. Sorry, Cubs fans, he made that too easy.

3. Christian vs. Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Title. The night of the DDT continued with Christian performing a wild one off the ring steps at 6:10. At 8:05, Cody tripped Christian and mugged for the crowd while sitting on the ropes. Christian took advantage of Cody playing to the crowd by performing a hurcanrana off the second rope for a near fall.

At 9:10, Christian set up for the spear, but Cody saw it coming and ducked to the floor at ringside. At 10:15, Christian went for a frogsplash, but Cody put his knees up. A short time later, though, Christian speared Rhodes and pinned him clean. Cole recalled Christian saying he wanted to be remembered as a respectable competitor, so it was appropriate that he was using Edge's finisher...

Powell's POV: A good match that lacked consistent heat. The crowd watched the match and popped at times, but the wrestlers really had to work hard to get them excited. A really nice effort from Christian and Rhodes, but they need more creative support than they are getting.

A Don't Try This At Home video aired... A shot aired of MetLife Stadium, as Cole hyped that it is the home of WrestleMania 29...

4. Primo and Epico (w/A.W., Rosa Mendes) vs. Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) vs. The Uso Brothers vs. Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd in a four-way tag match to determine the new No. 1 contenders to the WWE Tag Titles. Young and O'Neil wore pink gear. Booker T said Young "looks a little Fruit Booty-ish." That's a line that his brother Stevie Ray back in the WCW days.

The rules allowed two wrestlers in the ring at once and the wrestlers were allowed to tag in non-partners. Gabriel wore thick black covering on both arms. The announcers noted that he had returned from a serious elbow injury. Gabriel did a lot of selling. Primo missed a springboard move, so Gabriel tagged in Kidd at 6:30.

Kidd entered the match with a springboard dropkick. he hit Primo with a series of kicks and eventually had Primo pinned, but it was broken up by one of the other men. Kidd went for a springboard elbow, but Primo got his knees up and hit a Backstabber. The Uso's took out the Prime Time Players by diving onto them at ringside.

At 9:00, there was a cool spot with Kidd performing a huracanrana off the top rope that propelled Primo onto the pile of wrestlers on the floor for a "holy shit" chant from the crowd. Back inside the ring, Young dropped Primo onto his knees and pinned him. Epico tried to break it up, but A.W. stopped him. Afterward, the Players and A.W. beat up Primo and Epico...

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young beat Primo and Epico, The Uso Brothers, and Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel in a four-way tag match in 9:30 to become No. 1 contenders to the WWE Tag Titles.

Powell's POV: See my comments about Christian and Cody needing more storyline support and multiply it by 20 for this match. The fans didn't have any incentive to like or dislike one team more than the others, so they just sat back and waited for the finish (or watched Rosa jiggle at ringside). That was a start, though. I like the idea of Primo, Epico, and Rosa being babyfaces while A.W. leads the heel Players team. I also like the way they set it up by saying that A.W. was responsible for letting the rematch clause expire even though I don't think I've ever heard anything about there being an expiration date.

A Money in the Bank pay-per-view commercial aired. The show takes place on July 15 in Phoenix, Arizona... The announcers set up a video to recap Brock Lesnar's attack on Triple H on Raw two months ago...

Triple H's music played and he headed to the ring to a strong ovation. Hunter said he's spent over half of his life in the ring. He said he did it because for the most part it's the only thing he's ever wanted to do. He said it was also a little bit because he never wanted to get a real job. "Ironically, all these years later, here I am with a real job," he said. He noted that it was a corporate job on top of it.

Hunter said that he's had to deal with a lot of crap since Paul Heyman filed lawsuits against him. He said he hates it because he's not really a corporate kind of guy. "I'm a fighter, I'm an ass kicker, it's what I do," Hunter said. He said he has an idea and he thinks it's a good one, but it only matters if it's a good idea to one guy.

Hunter recalled Heyman saying Lesnar wants to fight. He also recalled Lesnar saying he's not an entertainer. "Hmm," Hunter said. "Wow. You know, the last time I saw Brock Lesnar in this ring, he had jumped me from behind and, yes, he broke my arm. But I've gotta tell you, the arm is feeling a lot better. By my estimation, a couple more weeks and it should be 100 percent. A few more weeks after that, I should be back in fighting shape."

Triple H said that brings them to the middle of summer. He said he wants to get rid of the lawyers and the fat balding manager. He said this isn't about them, it's about Brock and him doing what they do. "We're fighters, Brock, and I want to fight you," Triple H said. "Brock Lesnar, I want to fight you bad. Brock Lesnar - Triple H, one-on-one, SummerSlam. It's not about anything else, Brock. Let's do this. Let's do this this. Let's fight. Brock Lesnar, let's fight."

Hunter lightened his delivery tone and said, "Or you can be happy being a quitter. I'll be waiting." Triple H's music played and he left the ring...

Powell's POV: I like the idea of doing more to market directly to the pay-per-view buying audience. It will be interesting to see whether they add a stipulation about Lesnar getting what he wants contractually if he agrees to the fight or if he blows off the advice of Heyman because Triple H gets under his skin.

Backstage, A.J. approached Daniel Bryan. He told her now isn't the time. She asked him to listen. She said that even after everything they've been through, there's still part of her that hasn't gotten over him. She said she doesn't expect him to do anything about it. She said she just wanted to tell him and wish him luck, which she did with a kiss on the cheek...

5. Layla vs. Beth Phoenix for the WWE Divas Championship. Cole recalled Eddie Guerrero winning his first WWE Championship at the 2004 No Way Out. Layla took Beth's headband and mocked her with it by posing like her and then flashing a big smile and dancing. Beth chased her and Layla got the better of a rattled Phoenix, who even cowered when Layla teased a dropkick. Layla ended up winning with a neckbreaker.

Layla defeated Beth Phoenix in 10:00.

Powell's POV: The crowd reacted to the big moves and there were a few. Otherwise, crickets. The Layla games with the headband made them both look ridiculous.

Somewhere backstage, A.J. found Kane. She kissed him on the cheek. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in close and they shared a big kiss. The crowd applauded...

Powell's POV: More offense than usual for Hunico, but the same result as usual.

A video set up the WWE Championship match...

Kane made his entrance. Lots of "Yes!" chants when Bryan made his entrance. There were loud "C.M. Punk" chants before his entrance and then a huge pop when his music hit. Justin Roberts handled the in-ring introductions for the championship match. Booker T said he had three words for us: "Let's get it on tonight." Yes, this really happened...

7. C.M. Punk vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat for the WWE Championship. Kane went for a double chokeslam early, but Punk and Bryan kicked their way out of it and then engaged in a kick battle while using Kane as their kicking dummy. They concluded with a simultaneous dropkick to Kane's head.

There was really good action with all three wrestlers getting offense. At 9:45, Bryan had both men down and blasted them both with kicks. Punk rolled him up out of nowhere for a near fall and then went on his own offensive run. At 11:00, Punk went to the top rope, but Bryan caught him and set him up for a superplex.

Kane snuck underneath and put Bryan on his shoulders. Punk dove off and hit the Doomsday Device clothesline. Punk clotheslined Kane over the top rope and then got a near fall on Bryan. Cole acknowledged that the move is "out of the LOD playbook." Punk went up top and dropped an elbow on Bryan for a two count. Punk set up for the GTS on Bryan, but Kane recovered and caught Punk with a kick.

Punk came back and tried to drop an elbow on Kane, but he moved. Bryan went up top and performed a head butt on Punk and got a near fall. Kane ran toward Bryan, who pulled the top rope down. Kane remained on the apron, but Bryan nailed him with a shoulder block to knock him to the floor.

At 14:40, Bryan caught Punk in the Yes! Lock and wrenched on him. Punk rolled back and had Bryan pinned for two. Punk hit the GTS on Bryan. Before Punk could pin him, Kane pulled Bryan to the floor. Kane clotheslined Punk with the top rope and then hit him with a clothesline off the top rope. Kane went for the chokeslam, but Punk countered with a DDT for a two count.

Punk hit Kane with a top rope elbow. He tried to follow up with a GTS, but he couldn't lift him. Kane caught Punk with a big boot and a chokeslam for a good near fall. Kane expressed frustration that he didn't get the three count. Kane did Taker's throat slashing gesture and went for the Tombstone, Punk slid out of it.

Just as A.J. got to ringside and climbed onto the ring apron, Punk shoved Kane backwards into AJ., who took a bump to the floor. Kane turned and showed concern for A.J. Punk hit the GTS on Kane and pinned him. Kane picked up A.J., who looked back at Punk in the ring and flashed a smile...

C.M. Punk defeated Kane and Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Championship in 18:15.

Powell's POV: A very good Triple Threat match. That was as enjoyable for me as the Sheamus vs. Ziggler match. A.J.'s lack of involvement was disappointing from the standpoint that the near falls suffered because the fans seemed to be waiting for her and weren't as into some of them as they would have been had she not been teased. That said, I'm not going to complain about the A.J. drama being dragged out even longer. They could go right back to this match again next month since Kane didn't look weak for losing since he was distracted by A.J. taking the bump. Speaking of which, Punk was clearly looking at A.J. when he shoved Kane. I assume he was just making sure the timing was right and it's not a case of him and A.J. being in cahoots given that Punk is the babyface.

8. Ryback vs. Dan Delaney and Rob Grymes. The jobbers said that once they pulled off the biggest upset, they were going to walk across the parking lot and main event WrestleMania. They sang a WrestleMania song. More Goldberg chants for Ryback, who won with his usual finisher...

Ryback beat Dan Delaney and Rob Grymes in a handicap match in 1:50.

Powell's POV: Same old, same old. Ryback yelled a lot after the match about "Feed me three" and then "Feed me more." Ryback will be huge if WWE ever launches a handicap match division. Congrats to our first free membership winner Matt Jerr of South Windsor, Connecticut. We have one more to go. To enter the contest, cut and paste the following on your Twitter page right now: Read @Prowrestlingnet's live coverage of WWE No Way Out at prowrestling.net #wwe #NoWayOut

A SummerSlam commercial aired... The announcers spoke about Triple H's challenge to Brock Lesnar... The cage music played and it lowered around the ring... A video set up the main event...

Justin Roberts handled the main event introductions. He said the only way to win the match is by pinfall, submission, or having both feet hit the floor. Big Johnny came out first and limped his way to the ring on a crutch. Big Show was out next. Vince McMahon's music played and the crowd cheered. Vince strutted to ringside and ignored Big Johnny going for a handshake. Cena came out, looked into the camera, and said somebody is getting fired...

9. John Cena vs. Big Show in a cage match. The stips were that Cena would be fired by Big Johnny if he lost, and Vince McMahon would fire Big Johnny if Show lost. Big Show was on the offensive early. Cole spent time talking about how much good Big Johnny has done for the good of WWE. Cena threw a horrible dropkick at Show and tried unsuccessfully to escape the cage.

Vince and Laurinaitis were shown seated next to one another to the left front side of the announcers' table. Cole continued to ramble on about how great Laurinaitis is while Show remained on offense at 5:00. The pace was slow and the crowd quiet until Show looked to them and said, "You don't care?" He received some boos.

At 7:00, Cena eluded Show and tried to climb over the top of the cage. Show ran after him and caught him on top of the cage. Lawler noted that Big Show "got agile in a hurry." Show crotched himself on the way down. Cena hit him with a running shoulder block that knocked Show into the cage.

Cena tried to climb the ropes, but Show caught him in powerbomb position. Show rammed Cena's back into the cage and then dropped him face first onto the mat. Show covered Cena for a two count.

A short time later, Show grabbed Cena by the throat and then backed his way up the ropes. Show pulled Cena up by the throat and then dropped him. Show walked across the top rope while holding onto the cage. He went for an elbow drop, but Cena moved. Vince was shown clapping. Show tried to crawl through the door, but Cena grabbed him and pulled him back inside the cage. Cena tried to escape, but Show pulled him back.

The pace picked up a bit as Cena pushed off a choke and ran Show into the cage and then followed up with a shoulder block for a near fall. Cena crawled toward the corner. Big Johnny stood up and closed the door. Vince grabbed Johnny and shoved him aside. Vince held the door open. Johnny recovered and shoved Vince from behind and the door slammed on Cena's head.

Show chokeslammed Cena and went for the cover, but Cena kicked out. Good near fall. Show went for a knockout punch on Cena. However, Cena moved and Show knocked out the referee instead. Show followed up by knocking out Cena. With the referee, Cena, Laurinaitis, and Vince all down, Show walked toward the door.

Brodus Clay showed up and stood on the floor in front of the cage door with a chair in his hand. Show thought better of going through the door. Brodus motioned for help as Show teased climbing the cage. Alex Riley and Santino Marella ran down and climbed the cage, but Show slammed his own weight into it to knock them off. Zack Ryder ran out and went for the cage, but Show punched the cage into him.

Show climbed the cage, but Kofi Kingston ran out and met him at the top of the cage. Kingston caught Show with repeated kicks. Show fell back into the ring. Cena recovered and crawled toward the doorway, but Show stopped him. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Big Show. He couldn't pin Show because the referee was knocked out.

Show crawled toward the door where Clay was waiting. Cena tried to climb over the top of the cage, but Big Johnny was there swinging a crutch. Clay walked over and grabbed Laurinaitis and held his arms behind his back. Show made a play for the door, but Cena fell to the ground at ringside before Big Show could escape the cage.

John Cena defeated Big Show in a cage match in 19:20.

After the match, Show motioned for Clay to let Laurinaitis go. Big Johnny swung a crutch at Cena, who ducked and hoisted him up on his shoulders. Vince delivered the "You're Fired" line to Big Johnny, and then Cena put Laurinaitis through the announcers' table with an Attitude Adjustment. Vince walked backstage and Cena celebrated with Clay...

Powell's POV: Big Show just became completely worthless for anyone who paid attention to John Cena's Raw promo. Cena more or less said Show would be nothing if he lost. Show has an out with all the help Cena got, I suppose, but I don't know how they can extend the feud with Cena and Show and expect people to care. The run-ins were helpful to the slow and plodding match and they were logical given that Show had roughed up each of those wrestlers. I would complain that they killed the cage gimmick, but you can't kill something that's already dead.

Overall, the show went as most of us expected from a quality standpoint. The two World Title matches were very entertaining. The main event was nothing special, though they sent the crowd home happy. I can't say I'm any more excited about the direction of WWE than I was before the show started. I'll have more to say in Dot Net Members audio later tonight and in the WWE No Way Out Hitlist on Monday. Thanks for watching along with me.

Our second Dot Net Membership contest winner tonight is Warren @WF66 from Australia. Congratulations to both winners and thanks to everyone who entered the contest for spreading the word about Dot Net in the process.